Much Ado
by MySoapBox
Summary: Sarah might become Sarah Bartowski in a way she never expected. Total Charah. Now Complete.
1. Act I

****

Much Ado

**By MySoapBox**

**Act I: _That a woman conceived me, I thank her._**

* * *

"El! Do you know where that box is, with all the old family papers and stuff? I need my social security card and I can't find it anywhere!" Chuck called out to his sister as he riffled through the stacks of old boxes and things in the rarely opened hall closet.

"Have you looked under Devon's scuba gear?" she called back from the kitchen.

Chuck shoved the box he was holding on top of a tower of boxes he had made in the hallway and tried to lift the heavy tank.

"Are you sure?" he called, choking on some dust. "It looks like this thing hasn't been used in ages."

"Pretty sure," she called back. "Look for a black plastic file box."

Chuck managed to move the tank and regulator out into the hallway, revealing an old vodka box that he didn't remember ever seeing before. He dragged the box out into the hallway and reached in his pocked for his Swiss army knife keychain. The yellowing tape cut easily under the small blade.

Chuck was just pulling back the flaps on the box when Ellie came walking down the hallway. "What did you find?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Chuck answered. "Hey! It's my baby blanket!" Chuck pulled out a rumpled blue flannel blanket.

Ellie fingered the fabric and giggled. "Smurfs, you loved that show."

"I remember rubbing this satin trim across my cheek at night." He held the blanket up to his face. "It helped me fall asleep." He quickly put the blanket down. "Ew, it stinks."

"I'm not surprised. I don't think I've opened that box since I moved out here to go to UCLA." Ellie fixed her eyes on a little piece of checkered fabric. She reached down into the box. "Look, Strawberry Shortcake."

"And Stretch Armstrong!" Chuck said excitedly. He picked up the plastic man and pulled his arms enthusiastically. One snapped off, sending crystallized goo across the floor. "I guess he's a little too old to 'stretch fun further than ever before'."

Ellie laughed. "Since I passed thirty, I can relate." She crouched beside the box and pulled out a padded plastic binder. "Look, Chuck, your baby book."

"Hey! I haven't seen this in forever!" He opened the book and started to leaf through the yellowing pages.

"Too bad we didn't know about acid paper back then. Look how the pictures are discoloring."

"Yeah, but look at that little handsome devil," Chuck said, pointing to a baby picture.

Ellie smiled, "You were an adorable baby. What happened?"

Chuck looked up at his sister's serious face, and then she broke into a grin. "Very funny."

"Don't worry, I like you much better with hair," Ellie said reaching out to ruffle his curls.

"I don't know, Sis. I was considering the Lex Luthor look."

"Another evil plot to take over the universe?"

"You know, one of these days I'm going to succeed," Chuck answered, playing along.

"Maybe you should just start with getting a job."

Chuck could tell that she regretted the words as soon as she said them. He didn't want to fight with her about this. "Don't worry, El," he said seriously. "I've got plans. It'll work out. You'll see."

Ellie smiled at him, a familiar wise twinkle in her eye. "I know it will." Ellie turned the page on the book.

Chuck put his finger on a picture. "There's mom. Look how young she is."

"You know, I've never thought about it until now, but mom would have been younger than me when you were born."

"Now you're starting to freak me out, El."

"No, seriously, she would have been in her late twenties."

"Weird. You know, you look like her. Well, except for the hair. I'm not sure how we both ended up brunettes when she was a blond."

"Brown hair is dominant, I think," Ellie answered.

"Then why didn't you get dad's brown eyes. They're dominant too."

"Just luck of the draw, little brother."

Chuck closed the baby book, put it aside and continued rifling through the box. "What's this?" He pulled out a manila folder and opened it.

"My birth certificate." Ellie reached down and took the paper. "It's always good to have an extra copy."

"And here's mine," Chuck said as he continued leafing through the file and pulled out another certificate. "Lisa Katherine Bartowski? Who's that?" He lifted the paper close to his eyes so he could get a better look. "She has my same birthday, same year and day and in Hartford and everything." He pulled out his own birth certificate to compare them. "Look, the serial numbers are just one digit apart. Mine ends in 204 and this one in 205."

Ellie's hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh, my god, Chuck. I totally forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"Dad never told you, did he?"

"Told me what?"

"It's not really my place to say."

"Ellie," Chuck said with a slight edge to his voice.

"Okay, okay." She took a deep breath. "When mom got pregnant with you, it wasn't just with…you." Ellie's eyes widened and she looked at him as if willing him to understand.

Chuck furrowed his eyebrows. "With me? What are you talking about?"

Ellie waved her hand in front of herself nervously. "She was pregnant with twins. You…and another baby…a girl."

"Twins. No. No way. I would have known."

"No really. I was only four but I remember dad coming home from the hospital and telling me that I wasn't going to get the sister I had wanted, only a brother."

Chuck was speechless.

Ellie rushed ahead, trying to fill the strained silence. "I started to cry and then dad told me not to cry because it would make mom sad. You and mom came home and we never talked about it again." Ellie got a far away look in her eye. "It's like a dream now. Until I saw this birth certificate I couldn't have even told you for sure if that really happened or not. But here's the proof."

"It appears so," Chuck said, as he stared at the paper in his hand. "I had another sister? My twin?" It was unbelievable. It was amazing. Suddenly he felt sad for all that he had lost, even though he had never known it.

Ellie must have been thinking the same thing. "Yeah, that would have been pretty great, wouldn't it? It wouldn't have been just you and me."

"Yeah," Chuck agreed sadly.

Ellie put her arm around him. "Hey, these things happen. Mortality rates for multiple births is four times that of single births," she said in her doctor voice.

"Yeah, El, I get that. I just don't get why dad never told me."

"You know how he never talked about mom after she left. It must have been too hard for him."

"Yeah, I suppose."

* * *

At six o'clock that evening Chuck was knocking on Sarah's door, a single red rose in hand.

He heard her working the locks and then the door opened. "Hey," she said. She looked beautiful in her black evening dress.

"Hey yourself," he answered leaning in for a quick kiss and handing her the rose.

Sarah held it to her nose and breathed in the fragrance. "Mmm," she murmured. "Thanks." She let him into the room and once the door closed she pulled him into a more proper kiss for new lovers.

"I could get used to this," Chuck said between kisses.

"I think you'll have too," Sarah answered, moving her hand behind his neck and pulling him in again.

When he was starting to feel breathless and a little dizzy she pulled back. "Do you know what today is?" she asked.

"Friday?"

"Yes. What else?"

"Um…a new moon?" he asks with pretended innocence.

"Possibly."

"Oh, I know. Buy More poker night."

She playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Chuck!"

"Not poker night. Hum… Could it be…some sort of anniversary?"

"You know very well that it is."

"Do I?" You might have to remind me." He leaned in and began kissing her neck, tightening his hold around her waist.

"I'll give you a hint." From the huskiness of Sarah's voice he could tell she was more than a little distracted. "Four weeks ago today was your sister's rehearsal dinner."

"Really?" Chuck asked, not stopping what he was doing. "So we're going out to dinner to celebrate my sister's wedding rehearsal?"

"No. we're celebration what happened _after_ Ellie's rehearsal dinner. You remember_ that_ don't you," she said.

"Ah, yes, it's all coming back to me now."

"I should hope so."

Chuck kissed her again and Sarah eagerly responded.

"How could I forget the best night of my life?" he breathed when their lips were parted.

As they continue their exploration of one another Chuck moved his hands slowly up her back until his hand found the zipper to her dress.

"Chuck," she warned. But as intent as he was on what he was doing, and where his mind was going, he didn't respond. He didn't want to stop. He had started unzipping the dress when he felt Sarah gently push him away.

"Oh no, I know where this is going. We haven't made it out of this hotel room in over a week. I'm not missing dinner out again.

"Come on Sarah." He moved his eyebrows up and down and put on his best Carmichael voice. "I'm sure I can make it worth your while."

Sarah smiled. "I'm sure you can. In fact I _know _you can. But I'd like to have a nice romantic dinner first."

"But what better way to celebrate that special night by having a repeat performance of what we're celebrating?" Chuck said as he began to tug the zipper again.

"Chuck," her voice had changed tones now. "I'm serious." This wasn't the Sarah the new girlfriend voice, this was the Sarah, I can kill you in ten different ways before you even know your dead voice.

It was enough to snap Chuck out of his lustful fog. "Sorry," he said sheepishly as he fixed the zipper and dropped his hands.

"Don't worry." Her voice was soft again. "First a nice dinner out, then we'll come back here for that repeat performance you were talking about. Maybe even…a double feature?" she said suggestively.

Memories of their time together filled his mind, totally distracting him when Sarah said, "I'm not finished getting ready. Give me five minutes?" She turned and disappeared into the bathroom.

"You already looked perfect to me," he called out to her. "You could wear a paper bag and you'd look great to me."

A few minutes later Sarah came out of the bathroom with a string of pearls in her hand. "Will you help me with these?" she asked, handing him the necklace. She turned around and pulled up her hair, while Chuck placed the pearls around her neck.

While he was working the latch he couldn't help but plant a kiss at her hairline. As he pulled away he saw a small birthmark, about the size of a dime and reminiscent of the shape of Africa. He started to feel nauseous and his eyes started to flutter.

In his mental eye the Intersect flashed. Embedded in the images, he saw a series of passports, driver's licenses and school ID's all with Sarah's picture but with different names: Jenny Burton, Kate O'Connell, Rebecca Franco. Then a Connecticut birth certificate flashed in his mind. The name on the certificate he didn't recognize but the dates he certainly did, September 24, 1980, Hartford, Connecticut, and the serial number ended in 205.

Chuck shook the flash off. "Oh!...Oh!..." he said nervously.

"What is it?" Sarah asked

"Oh…nothing…nothing." His voice had risen in pitch. "Just, uh…pinched my finger in the clip. That's all."

"Are you finished?" she asked, a little impatiently.

"Uh…yeah." He finished clasping the necklace and stepped back. "It was tricky, but I got it."

"My hero," she teased. "Come on, or we'll miss our reservation."

"Reservations…right. We should get going." Chuck walked to the door a little too quickly and yanked it open for Sarah.

Before she walked through the doorway she stopped and put her hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're okay? You're acting a little strange."

He didn't meet her eye. "Am I? Sorry. I'm just excited…about tonight. You know, dinner…_out_."

Sarah smiled but he could tell that she wasn't buying it.

"Okay, let's go then," she said and walked out the door.

She had let him off the hook for now, but Chuck new this was far from over. _Oh boy._

* * *

If Sarah could have read the thoughts in Chuck's mind all night, she would have heard the mantra: 'Sarah is not my twin sister', repeated over and over. But since telepathy was not one of her powers, she was left to decipher the crazy mixed messages Chuck had been sending her and she was having a hard time of it.

When he had first arrived to pick her up, things had seemed fine between them. Better than fine. Their relationship had been like a dream these past few weeks. But after she had put off his advances and insisted on keeping their dinner reservations, he had started to act differently towards her. He didn't take her arm as they walked in from the parking lot. All through dinner he stuttered and stumbled over their conversation, that is, when he said anything at all. He refused a bite of her strawberry cheesecake at desert and while he consented to holding her hand back to the car, he turned his cheek when she leaned in for a kiss.

In a way it was like their first date all over again. But at least then he had been witty and charming in addition to his nervousness. Tonight he just seemed nervous and strangely distant. But that couldn't be right. Why would he have any reason to be nervous around her?

Was he angry with her? Was he frustrated about being turned down earlier? If so, that would be out of character for the Chuck she knew. He had always been patient and wonderful it came to their intimate relationship.

Or maybe he was starting to feel uncertain about their relationship. She hadn't been able to be as open with him as she knew he would like. He said he was willing to be patient with her, but for how long? Did he doubt her feelings?

_Crap_. She stunk at relationships.

No matter what was bothering him, she reassured herself, when she got him back to her hotel room she would get him to tell her what was on his mind and then they would put it behind them. She had plans, and shyness, nervousness or even frustration had no place to play in them.

She pushed a little harder on the gas peddle and the precision sports car responded accordingly. At the same time she placed her hand on his thigh and slowly moved it upward.

"Hey, what's your hurry?" Chuck asked when she got close to her mark.

"Just anxious to get us home," she answered. "It's a special night and there are a few new things I'd like us to try."

"Oh?" The word came out high, like a little girl's. Chuck cleared his throat and repeated, "Oh?," this time in a very manly baritone.

She felt him squirm under her touch so she pulled her hand away. Only a few more minutes until they reached her room she could get to the bottom of this. Whatever _this_ was.

Chuck walked Sarah to her door. "Well, Goodnight," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight? We haven't even gotten started." She unlocked the door.

He turned to face her. "I'm just not feeling well." He put his hand on his stomach. "Yeah, that sizzling shrimp just isn't sitting right." He started backing away. "I better just…"

"Oh, no you don't!" Sarah grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room. "I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, but I've known you long enough to know when something's on your mind."

"On my mind? Nothing…nothing's on my mind. I'm just happy about our anniversary." He put on a smile that Sarah saw right through.

"Chuck?" She asked with question in her eyes. "Remember who you're talking to here." She gave him a long hard look, at first he looked away, but then he glanced up and she captured his gaze.

"I guess it would be rude of me if I didn't stay for a little while," he relented.

Sarah took a deep breath. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I would like it if you did," she said. She leaned in and kissed him. His lips were unyielding beneath hers. She pulled back and opened her eyes to see his staring back at her.

Unsettled she stepped back. "Would you mind getting the wine?" she asked, suddenly feeling very selfconcious. She indicated a bottle that she had put on ice earlier. "I'll go put on a little music."

She retreated to the vanity area of her bathroom and took a second to regroup. Chuck was definitely acting oddly. Should she push him to talk about it? Or should she just try to push past his insecurities, whatever they were? Was it time to be totally honest with him about her feelings and say those words she hadn't yet dared say? Or was this something else entirely? For the thousandth time that evening, she wished she didn't suck at relationships.

Resolving to do her best to be emotionally open, after all, that had worked for her in the past, she reached in her purse for her iPod. This morning she had made a music mix. It wasn't what she normally would have done, but she knew Chuck would like it. She slid her iPod in the port and pushed play.

The music started and she stepped out to see Chuck fumbling awkwardly with the wine cork.

"Do you recognize this song?" she asked.

_They're playing our song  
They're playing our song  
Can you see the lights  
Can you hear the hum_

He looked up to her with a confused look on his face. "Um…"

"It's Blind Pilot. You know, the song that was playing at Ellie's reception when we danced?"

Before Chuck could respond the cork pulled free and he juggled the bottle a few times between his hands before he was able to stabilize his hold.

"You know," Sarah continued, not addressing his acrobatics, "there was something I was planning on telling you that night. But I never had the chance."

"Mmm?" Chuck wasn't looking at her but was trying to pour the wine. Sarah couldn't help but notice that his hands were shaking. Was he nervous to hear what she had to say? She was sure he returned her feelings; at least she thought she was sure.

"Do you remember that night, what I was saying before we were interrupted?"

"Yeah, um…that was a nice night wasn't it? Casey did a really good job with the decorations."

Sarah was surprised by the change of subject. "Yeah, he did," she reluctantly agreed.

"And Morgan, boy his trip to Hawaii! Wow, that was a shocker…."

Sarah tried not to let the worry show on her face. Usually Chuck jumped at the chance to talk about feelings, however awkward and uncomfortable it felt to her. She'd gone out of her way this last month to try to open up more and she thought she was doing a good job at it, until tonight, when suddenly, he seemed to want to talk about anything but their relationship. He even seemed to want to look anywhere but at her.

It was hard enough to talk about how her feelings as it was, but if he was too distracted to hear them then…well…a good agent always had a backup plan. It was time for plan 'B'. If talking wasn't going to work, then Sarah would have to resort to what she knew best - action. Whatever was wrong with him, whatever was making him keep his distance tonight, this would fix it. She was sure of it.

As Chuck babbled on about Morgan and Anna, Sarah reached up behind her back and pulled down the zipper on her evening dress. She shrugged out of the bodice and the dress fell in soft ruffles around her, revealing a lacy black slip.

Chuck had taken the wine glasses in his hands and when he looked up to hand the glass to her his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Let's go to bed, Chuck," she said in seductive tones. "We can have a nice long talk – after."

But rather than being entranced, like she had hoped, his eyes grew to be the size of saucers making him look like a raccoon in the headlights. She took one step towards him and he took one step back. She took another step, and he stepped back again. As he did, he bumped into the dresser and wine sloshed down his shirt.

"Crap," he said, putting down the glasses and reaching out for a napkin.

Chuck was wiping furiously when Sarah approached him and placed her hands on his. "Chuck, it's okay. Calm down. We're just going to take this off anyway."

Sarah started to work the buttons on Chuck's shirt while backing him towards the bed. His knees buckled and they fell together onto the bedspread. Sarah finished the buttons and moved her hands up and under his undershirt.

"Sarah," Chuck said weekly.

"Umm?" she murmured, moving her hands across his bare chest.

"Ah…Sarah," he said a little louder.

She decided to ignore him, turning her attention to unbuckling his belt.

"Sarah!" He grabbed her hands.

Sarah sighed and rolled off of him. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You can't imagine how sorry I am. But I…I've got to go!"

Chuck stood from the bed and started to re-button his shirt. "It's not you." He paused. The look in his eyes as he took in her partially nude form was full of longing. "Definitely not you. It's me." He winced as if he knew how lame that must have sounded. "I'm sorry," he mumbled again as he backed towards the door.

He turned and sprinted out of the room and all Sarah heard was the soft click of the closing door.

_So this was our song  
This was our song  
I still see the lights  
I can see them_

Sarah got up and stared at the door blankly. _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Many thanks to **SharpasaMarble** who continues to be the best beta a gal could ask for.

Story Note: The song Sarah plays is 3 Rounds and a Sound by Blind Pilot. While Chuck's place of birth is in conflict in cannon, in a flash Chuck had in Chuck vs the Alma Mater it shows paperwork that lists Hartford, Connecticut as Chuck's birthplace, so that's what I chose for this story

Authors Note: This story is in three acts and the next act will be coming shortly. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "___Give not this rotten orange__ to your friend." _Okay so maybe not in those exact words. Did you hate it? Review anyway.


	2. Act II

**Much Ado**

**By MySoapBox**

**Act II:_ I cannot hide what I am_ **

* * *

Sarah hadn't slept well. She had thought about calling Casey to ask him to keep an extra close watch over Chuck, but what reason could she give him for her concern? She couldn't tell him that she was worried because Chuck didn't want to have sex with her. There are some things you just can't say to your partner.

She awoke before her alarm sounded and found that she had no desire to go for her morning run. Instead, she sat in the pre-dawn darkness in her running shorts and top and watched the lights of the city start to blink off, one by one. As the glass of the buildings started to glow with the sun's early light, she decided to go to the one place where she could find answers to all the questions that were running through her mind.

Chuck's alarm sounded with Huey Lewis and the News' "I Want a New Drug." Sarah, who had been waiting in his desk chair for the past thirty minutes, got up and clicked off the music.

Chuck stirred under his covers. "Sarah?" he asked, squinting his eyes against the morning light.

"Good morning," she said. "How did you sleep?"

"Awful," he mumbled, "just awful, I was up half the night thinking about…just thinking," he finished lamely.

"That makes two of us," she confessed. "May I?" She gestured to the bed.

Chuck's eyes widened momentarily as he caught her meaning. "Um…"

"If you don't want me to…"

"No, no, that would be fine." He scooted over to one side. Sarah noticed he wrapped the covers tightly around himself as he did.

She lay down next to him, but remained on top of the covers so she wouldn't spook him. She propped herself up on one elbow.

Chuck turned to face her, the covers tucked securely under his chin.

"Chuck," she began tentatively, "is everything okay?"

"Okay? Yeah, I mean, I just woke up thirty seconds ago but in those seconds I haven't flashed on anything, my life hasn't been in danger, no one's been shooting at me, so far so good."

Sarah laughed nervously. "That isn't exactly what I meant."

"It's not? I thought you were building up to tell me about a new mission."

"No, no mission that I know of."

"That's good."

There was a long uncomfortable pause. Sarah examined the patchwork on Chuck's bedspread while she worked up the courage to try again.

"Chuck," she said, breaking the silence, "when I asked you if everything was okay, what I actually meant was: are _we_ okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he answered, a little too quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure, why wouldn't we be okay?"

"Well, after last night, when you didn't want…"

Chuck flinched. "I know, I'm sorry about that. I really am. I just had a lot on my mind." Chuck sighed and looked at the ceiling.

Sarah's sigh echoed his and she lay down on the pillow waiting for him to continue. He usually would tell her what he was thinking if she just stayed silent. For awhile, her eyes traced the same patterns in the ceiling that she imagined Chuck was looking at. After a heavy silence, when it became clear that he wasn't going to elaborate, she asked, "Is it about the new Intersect?"

"No, though I do think about that a lot."

"Me too," she confessed. Another moment passed in silence. "Is it about your new cover job?"

"No, I'm not worried about that. I'm sure the CIA will take care of everything."

She steadied herself mentally before asking the next question, the one she had been working up the courage to ask. "Is it about us? Our relationship?"

Chuck ran his fingers through his mussed hair. "In a way."

Sarah clenched her hands unconsciously. He wasn't making this easy for her. "Chuck, can't you just say it? Whatever it is, it can't be as bad as the things I've been imagining all night."

"It's not easy for me okay?" his voice raised a little. "I needed time to work some things out."

"Not easy for you?" Sarah asked. "We've waited so long for our relationship to be real and just when things seemed to be going so well, something is stopping you." She turned her face from him in frustration. "And now I don't have a clue about what's going on in your head, and I can't get you to talk about it."

There was another pregnant pause. Sarah's heart hammered in her chest. Chuck was making her lead the conversation and it made her feel exposed. "Are you having second thoughts about me?" Her voice was just above a whisper, but she knew he had heard her because she felt him shift on the bed and then she felt his hand on her arm.

"No, no. It's nothing like that."

She turned towards him again. Their faces were only inches apart. "Then what?" She reached out and smoothed down one of his stray curls. "We have to trust each other if we're going to make this work. Isn't that what you keep telling me?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Will you stop saying that? Just tell me what's wrong."

Chuck pushed back the covers and sat up in the bed. The fact that his move had put some distance between them again did not escape her. She sat up as well, to put their heads on an equal level. "Okay," he said, sounding resolute. "What do you know about…" and he said the name he had seen on the birth certificate in his flash.

Sarah jumped off the bed like she'd been burned. "How do you know that name?"

He seemed frightened by her sudden movement. "I…I…" he stuttered.

Sarah put the pieces together quickly. "You flashed on me, didn't you," she said in an accusatory tone. "Last night before we went out to dinner. You got new information from the Intersect."

Chuck closed his eyes and nodded. Sarah suddenly felt cold.

"You saw something - something about my past. That's it, isn't it? Like the time you flashed on me with the French diplomats." Sarah started to feel frantic now. She knew that someday she would have to tell him about certain things in her past, but she wanted it to be in her own time and in her own way.

"No...well, yes, I did flash on you…"

"I knew it! It was that thing in Krakow wasn't it? You don't want me after what I did in Krakow."

"Krakow? No, it's nothing like that."

"What then?" She started to pace the room. "Brisbane then… or…Berlin…"

"Sarah, stop this…"

"Bryce! Was it something to do with Bryce? Because Chuck I've told you what happened between us…"

Chuck had stood and now he grabbed Sarah's hands. "Sarah, calm down. It's not like that." She looked into his warm eyes as he pulled her back down to sit by him on the bed. He looked at her and opened his mouth, but for a moment nothing came out. Then he closed his eyes took a deep breath and said, "I saw your birth certificate…okay." He opened his eyes and she saw real concern there. "I saw it. And…and now I know you were born in 1981 on September 21st ."

Sarah was puzzled. "And?"

Chuck raised his eyebrows. "That's quite a coincidence, isn't it, that we share the same birthday?"

"I don't get it. You're mad because I never told you my birthday?"

"No, it isn't that at all. There's more. You were born in Hartford, Connecticut."

"So? Do you have something against people from New England?"

"_I'm_ from Hartford."

"But, you said that you were friends with Morgan since elementary school in Tarzana."

"My dad moved us out to LA to work on the Intersect project when I was just a toddler. Ellie and I were both born in Connecticut."

"As much as I appreciate this review of your family history, it still doesn't explain how you've been acting the past 12 hours."

Chuck pulled on their joined hands, moving Sarah in closer so that they were sitting knee to knee, and hand in hand in the center of the bed.

"Listen, I found something yesterday, something while I was looking for my social security card."

He hesitated and Sarah wondered where this was going.

"I found a folder with family birth certificates in it. One I'd never seen before." Sarah nodded her head for him to continue. "I found a birth certificate for...for my twin."

"Twin?" Sarah repeated in disbelief. "I didn't know you had a twin, it wasn't in any of your files."

"I didn't know either until yesterday. Ellie said that she died at birth."

"She? It was a girl?"

Chuck nodded. "Ellie said that my dad and mom were too upset, so they never talked about it. And then when mom left… well, dad stopped talking pretty much altogether."

"I'm sorry, Chuck." She reached up and put one hand behind his neck. "That must have been hard news to hear. But I still don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"

Sarah saw Chuck's Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. He tightened his grip on her other hand. "When I flashed on your birth certificate last night, it had a serial number: 81-1205." Chuck scooted across the bed, pulling himself out of her grasp and reached for something on his nightstand. He brought back a manila folder and handed it to her.

Sarah looked at the folder. As she did, she noticed for the first time that she was trembling slightly, though she wasn't sure why. She opened the folder and on the top page was Chuck's birth certificate.

"See," he said, pointing to the paper, "the serial number on my certificate is 81-1204." He pulled the top page away, revealing another birth certificate, nearly identical to the last one, except this one was issued for a Lisa Katherine Bartowski. "Look at the number on this one. 81-1205, the exact number that I saw on your birth certificate in the flash."

Sarah couldn't comprehend exactly what he was saying, but when she looked into his eyes her heart filled with dread.

"Sarah," he said, taking her hand in his once more. "You're my twin sister."

* * *

Chuck saw the expressions change on Sarah's face, first confusion, then disbelief, each one only lasting a heartbeat. Finally, her expression settled on what could only be described as panic.

"There is no way I'm your sister," she exclaimed.

Chuck felt a wave of relief. Hopefully she would have a missing piece to the puzzle that would make this whole nightmare go away. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because we've…we've… you know…" She gestured in the air, inviting him to fill in the blanks.

Chuck nodded his head. "I know."

Her hands never dropped. "…lots and lots of times…"

Chuck rubbed his eyes. "I know."

"It's just not possible. You and me? Brother and sister? It's just…ridiculous."

"It's illegal," Chuck muttered.

"Oh God," Sarah exclaimed covering her mouth with one hand.

Chuck's heart sank. "That's it? That's your best argument? That we've had sex so we can't be related?"

Sarah took a deep breath. Her panicked expression turned into the calculating one he'd seen so many times when they had talked about strategy before a mission. "Let's work this through logically," she said. "Ellie said that your twin died. And I wasn't adopted; at least as far as I know. The rest is just a coincidence."

"A coincidence?" Chuck shook his head. "Amazingly the stars aligned and Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker were born in the same hospital in Connecticut on the exact same day? Who knows, we could have had cribs next to one another in the nursery. Maybe my dad and your dad even exchanged cigars!" Chuck looked hard at Sarah, willing her to understand. "Sarah, the Intersect is never wrong. I saw your birth certificate, the name was different, Jack could have changed that, but the numbers were the same, the date, place and time were all exactly the same."

Sarah took the twin's birth certificate and held in close to her face, presumably looking for signs of counterfeit. Chuck looked down at his own certificate. He still had so many questions and no satisfactory answers.

"Sarah, tell me about your mother."

Sarah appeared taken aback. "I don't know much about her really. She died giving birth to me."

"So you're mother died giving birth to you on the same day that I was born, and in the same hospital."

Sarah gave the certificate back to him. He could tell from the set of her lips that she was obviously thinking it through.

"Think about it this way, Sarah. Where would a con-man go if he wanted to adopt a baby? He wouldn't go to an agency and fill out paperwork. He would go to the black market."

Sarah seemed to bristle. "Listen, my dad may be many things, but he isn't a kidnapper."

"I'm not saying he is. I'm just saying that maybe someone at the hospital was. They would take babies, like a twin, and tell the mother that the baby had died. And then sell the baby on the black market."

"That's crazy." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Chuck! My dad did not buy me on the black market!"

"How can you be so sure? We need to consider all the possibilities." Chuck decided to push on with his next idea. "It could have been a government conspiracy."

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head a little; he could tell that he had piqued her interest. She wasn't convinced, but at least she was listening.

"Orion said he had uploaded the Intersect, right? What if the government knew that a talent like that would be hereditary? What if they took you and made sure that you were trained to join the CIA? What if Jack was just preparing you your whole life to become an Intersect? But then, thanks to Bryce, I got the Intersect instead – by accident. That would explain why you were assigned to me. When they found out there was a human intersect, they wanted you working on the project because they knew that you could become a human intersect too."

"Chuck, do you hear what you're saying? You met my dad. He's a con-man, not a CIA operative. He spent ten years in prison."

"It could have been all part of the cover."

"Believe me, I saw them take him away. It wasn't a cover."

"You don't think the CIA could sell a seventeen-year old girl on an arrest? And if it wasn't that…he could have been a pawn. Just someone they manipulated, and at the right time they took him away so they could get to you."

"I know that in the world we work in, everything can seem like a conspiracy, but sometimes Chuck, things really are just coincidences."

Chuck could see that Sarah was getting frustrated with him, but he had been thinking about this all night. Unless she had a rebuttal that made sense, he needed to make her understand. He reached into his night stand drawer and brought out a picture from Ellie's wedding.

"Last night, I watched you all evening. Do you know you have the same dimple as Ellie? Look at this Sarah. The one on the left cheek. And you have the same nose. If you dyed your hair brown, you two would look like…well, sisters."

Sarah examined the photo thoughtfully. She reached out and touched the glass with her finger. "I don't think we look anything alike."

"The dimple, Sarah, they are exactly the same."

Sarah looked at the picture once more. "Okay," she said, "I guess there are some similarities. But Chuck, what are the chances?"

"I know. It seems incredible. But you and I both know that the CIA manipulates people for their own purposes. Maybe we're just characters in a bad Star Wars reenactment and you're Leia to my Luke."

Sarah's puzzled expression told him that he had lost her a little on the pop reference. _Not surprising, _he thought. "I've already put a message out to Orion. He may know something that will help us. But I don't know where he is or how long it will take him to contact me."

Sarah turned and looked at the morning light streaming in from the window. Finally, she sighed and turned back to him. "This isn't going to go away is it?"

"No, Sarah, it's not."

"We can't just ignore it and go on with our lives?"

"Do you think you can forget it? I don't know about you, but I don't want to be wondering about this the next time we're together. It could really ruin the mood."

Sarah nodded. "Good point." She pulled out her cell phone. "Alright, I have a couple of places I can leave messages for Jack. I don't know if he'll get them though."

Chuck nodded as Sarah started dialing. At least she was taking him seriously now. Maybe working together they could uncover the truth.

A few minutes later, she put away her phone. "Well, I've left the messages, but I'm not too optimistic."

They sat there looking at one another, lost in their own thoughts. After a moment, Chuck felt Sarah's thumb stroking across the top of his hand. He looked at her and then down to their clasped hands.

"Sorry," Sarah said awkwardly. She started to pull her hand away.

Chuck tightened his grip. "Even if you are my sister, I can still hold your hand," he said.

"Sister," Sarah mused. "Of all the ways I thought our relationship might end, that wasn't even on the list."

"Hey," he reached up and put his hand on her jaw, turning her face so that she looked into his eyes, "my love for you wouldn't end. We'd just have to learn to love each other in a new way."

He moved his hand down her jaw and stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. He pulled his thumb away and mentally checked himself. Those were not the kind of thoughts a brother should have for his sister. He licked his lips nervously.

Sarah suddenly moved from the bed and stood. "I'm can't just wait here and hope one of our absentee fathers decides to call us back."

"What else can we do?" Chuck asked.

"_You_ can go take a shower. I'm going home to change. I'll be back in 20 minutes to pick you up."

"Where are we going?"

"To LabCorp. They do all the DNA analysis for the CIA."

_Of course_, Chuck thought. That would answer their question once and for all. "But don't forget, we have Ellie and Awesome's anniversary dinner tonight."

"I haven't forgotten. Don't worry; we should be done at LabCorp by lunchtime. We'll have the results by tomorrow morning and then, hopefully, we can put this whole nightmare behind us."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled nervously and said his goodbyes. As her eyes lingered on him a little longer than they usually did at parting, he thought he saw real worry there. She stepped out the window and was gone.

He had always known that there was a special connection between them, more than handler and asset. But what if that connection ran deeper than anyone could have ever imagined?

* * *

Many thanks go again to my awesome beta **Sharpasamarble**, who sacrificed his beauty sleep to look over this chapter. Additional thanks go to **Poa **who proofread my rewrite and saved me from some embarrassing mistakes.

I forgot in the first chapter to throw a shout-out to the folks at TWOP Chuck boards (found at here at ff net). We were talking about the idea for this story one night, and it was **Wepdiggy**'s idea for Chuck to flash on Sarah's birth certificate. I may have used other ideas from that conversation, so credit where credit it due. Thanks guys.

You may have read this with pleasure "_just so much as you may take upon a knife's point_." Ouch! Leave a review anyway.


	3. Act III

_A big thanks to my beta **Sharpasamarble.** He's too busy to do much writing these days, but he's written a great deal of awesome fanfiction on this site. My personal favorite of his is Chuck vs Five Men, One with a Knife. You should check it out. _

**Much Ado**

**By MySoapbox**

**Act III:_ I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is that not strange?_**

* * *

Chuck was discovering that sometimes being a CIA agent had its privileges. An express order for DNA testing was one of those. They stopped by the Castle where Sarah took basic cheek swabs with a testing kit. At Labcorp Sarah put the kit on the counter of the small reception area, flashed her badge, filled out some paperwork for a John and Jane Doe, told them it was a rush job and left a cell phone number. That was that. Now all there was to do was to wait.

Sarah had dropped Chuck back to his apartment after lunch with the excuse that she had some paperwork to catch up on. Chuck suspected that she just wanted to get away from the awkwardness for awhile. He couldn't blame her. The uncomfortable feeling between them had been almost painful. He spent the afternoon playing Call of Duty World at War with Morgan in Hawaii. That helped him take his mind of things – almost.

After getting slaughtered over and over he called it quits to start getting ready for the family anniversary dinner. As he buttoned up a fresh shirt, he could hear Ellie in the kitchen making the final preparations. He glanced at his clock; Sarah should be arriving soon.

A few minutes later he heard a knock at the front door; he rushed out of his room to answer it only to find that Ellie had gotten there first. Sarah stood in the doorway, looking stunning as ever in a red top and slacks.

Sarah and Ellie hugged. Chuck had never really paid attention before but they were about the same height. Sarah handed Ellie a bottle of wine and Ellie thanked her, exclaiming it was one of her favorites. Chuck nodded knowingly; tastes are usually similar in families.

Sarah approached Chuck with a controlled smile on her face. She leaned in, for what appeared to be, a kiss on the lips. But luckily Chuck was able to reposition his face just in time for a cheek kiss. Sarah looked at him with a glimmer of irritation in her eyes, before smiling again and turning to greet Devon.

Dinner went as well as could be expected. Conversation stayed in safe areas, like work at the hospital, Chuck's phony job search, and Sarah's new job managing the Subway on North Hollywood. Chuck heard little of it. All through dinner Chuck couldn't help but go back and forth between Ellie and Sarah comparing their features.

He noticed that their hands were very similar, as was the way they held their fork. Ellie brushed her hair behind her hear the same way Sarah did and Sarah crossed her legs in the same manner as Ellie.

Chuck never could hide anything from Sarah and she shot him a few dirty looks inconspicuously. But despite her non-verbal protests, Chuck saw Sarah do a double take when Ellie rolled the olive out of her pasta salad and to the side of her plate. And then when Sarah and Ellie both passed on seconds of the Cordon Bleu but took extra helpings of the asparagus, Chuck saw Sarah top off her wine.

Devon was the first one to steer the conversation into dangerous waters, just as they were finishing desert.

"When I got married some of my frat brothers told me that I'd be miserable." Ellie got a disapproving look on her face as Devon mentioned 'the brothers'. "But they couldn't have been more wrong. This last month has been the happiest of my life."

Ellie leaned and wrapped her hand around Devon's arm. "That's sweet, honey." They shared a kiss and a look that made Chuck feel a little uncomfortable.

Then Devon turned to him. "So when are you two going to make it official?"

"Oh, I don't know," Chuck answered uncomfortably.

"I know we guys talk about the old ball and chain, Chuck, but it's not like that at all. To know that you're going to share your life with the woman you love." He turned to look at Ellie again. "Well that's just awesome." The couple shared a loving smile.

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other uncomfortably.

Sarah cleared her throat. "It's kind of hard to put a label on our relationship right now," she answered.

Breaking her gaze from her husband, Ellie reached out and put her hand on Sarah's. "You've felt like family from the first time I met you. It'll be so nice when you two decide to get married so we can be real sisters."

"That's not necessary," Chuck said, and then immediately regretted his words. Sarah looked at him with large eyes. "I mean, that it's not necessary for us to get married, you know, for Sarah to be like part of the family because she already is. Right honey?" He didn't look at Sarah, but became very interested in the last few bites of desert on his plate.

"It feels that way more and more with every passing day," Sarah answered as she put her napkin on her plate. "That was delicious Ellie. Thank you."

Chuck was glad for the change of subject. "Yes, yes it was," Chuck agree. "Thanks, El."

Ellie waved the compliment away and began to gather the dishes on the table.

Sarah stood and picked up her plate. "No Ellie, you cooked the dinner, Chuck and I will do the dishes."

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked.

"Sure we're sure," Chuck answered, standing as well. "You and Devon go relax. We'll be done with these dishes in no time."

While Ellie and Devon made their way to the living room. Sarah headed to the kitchen and Chuck gathered dishes on the table. When he reached the kitchen, his hands fully loaded, Sarah was waiting for him. It was clear from the look in her face that she had something she wanted to talk about.

Chuck put the dishes in a stack beside the sink and girded himself with an apron. "I'll wash and you dry?" he asked.

"Sounds great." Sarah set her half full wine glass she had saved from dinner on the counter and picked up a dish towel.

Chuck turned on the water, added the soap, and the bubbles began to rise. Sarah went for the last few dishes on the table. As she did Chuck saw her casually glance to the living room, no doubt making sure Ellie and Devon were out of ear-shot.

"So, I've been thinking about...our situation," she said.

"Me too," Chuck answered.

"I think we're worrying over nothing." Her statement had the overtone of a challenge to it.

"Sarah, we've talked about this. My flashes aren't wrong."

"I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying we've just jumped to the wrong conclusion."

Chuck plunged some dishes into the full sink, waiting for Sarah to elaborate.

"You met my dad. You know what kind of man he is. That lifestyle…it required a lot of flexibility."

"What kind of 'flexibility'?"

Sarah didn't answer right away but took the first clean dish out of the drying rack and started wiping it down. "Because of my dad's work, we had to move around a lot." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "Let's just say that the CIA wasn't the first time I had to take on a new identity."

"I figured that out when the name I saw on your birth certificate wasn't Jenny Burton."

Sarah nodded. "A new city, a new name," she said, as if she was repeating something she had heard a thousand times. "Jenny was just one of many."

"But your real name is the one I saw on the certificate?"

Sarah nodded. "I thought so, but now…I'm not so sure." She opened the cupboard and started to put away the dry plates. "I thought that was my real birth certificate, but what if it was just another of my dad's cons?"

Chuck put the cooking pan in the sink; water sloshed out onto the counter. "That might be it," Chuck exclaimed. "I saw on TV about people using the identities of dead people to get credit cards. After what I saw your dad pull with that sheik, a little birth certificate forgery with be easy for him."

Sarah took a sip from her glass. "Exactly. My dad probably needed a birth certificate to enroll me in school or something, but he couldn't use one with his real name on it."

"Makes sense," Chuck agreed.

Sarah smiled. "Yes, I'm sure that must be it." She picked up the casserole dish and began wiping it dry with renewed energy.

Chuck scrubbed the last pot, but all the while he was turning over Sarah's idea in his mind. It seemed right when you looked at it up close, but when you stepped back, and looked at the big picture, it just seemed too easy.

"But that's still quite a coincidence; isn't it?" he finally said.

Sarah's countenance fell.

Chuck continued. "I mean, you and I are connected because of the Intersect, but we also are connected by the fact that your dad used my dead twin sister's birth certificate…but the ways we are connected aren't…connected? It doesn't make sense. You know what I mean?"

He turned to Sarah but she didn't answer.

"It just seems to me too much of a stretch. I used to think those kind of things could be just twists of fate. But now, knowing what I know - it has the smell of government conspiracy all over it."

Sarah stiffened a little and turned her attention back drying the last of the pans without saying more.

Once the dishes were done, Chuck and Sarah joined Ellie and Devon, who were already snuggling on the couch in the living room.

As they were getting settled, Devon got up and grabbed some fresh glasses and passed them to Ellie and Chuck. Sarah was still holding her wine glass from dinner. Chuck wondered how many times he had seen her fill her glass tonight. He wasn't sure.

After pouring for everyone Devon cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to make a toast. I know I speak for Ellie when I say that we can't thank you enough Chuck, for all you did to save our wedding and making it the best day of our lives."

"I still don't know how you pulled that off," Ellie exclaimed.

Sarah looked over to Chuck with a knowing smile.

"So…to the Chuckster." Devon began tipping his glass but then at the last minute he added, "I wish everyone could have a brother as great as him!"

Sarah, who had already began to drink, choked and sent a small spray down her chin. Chuck quickly grabbed a tissue and passed it to her. He then reached over and patted her back.

"Oh Sarah, are you okay?" Ellie asked.

Sarah wiped her lips. "Yes, fine," she said, gasping a little, "just went down the wrong pipe, that's all."

Chuck continued patting her back when Devon said, "Watch out there Sarah, Chuck may have to give you some mouth to mouth."

Chuck smiled weakly at Devon and Ellie and laughed along with the joke while out of the corner of his eye he saw Sarah down the rest of her wine in one gulp.

After some polite conversation, Sarah offered an early morning at the new Subway as an excuse to leave. But as she stood to go, she proved to be a little unsteady on her feet.

When Ellie insisted she stay the night, Chuck could do little besides agree.

Once in the room, Sarah immediately slipped off her slacks and blouse and crawled into bed.

As he watched her snuggle under the covers, thoughts and images of their time together filled his mind. Chuck was sure this was going to be the longest night of his life.

* * *

Sarah knew she had had a little too much to drink. She shouldn't have, it was unprofessional, but she was so distracted by the events of the day, she had lost track. Now all she wanted to do is close her eyes and hope it all went away. The darkness felt soothing to Sarah, like an old friend wrapping her in safety. She wriggled deeper into the pillow.

Chuck just stood by the door for a minute. Finally, he unbuttoned his dress shirt, pulled off his pants, and after a quick trip to the bathroom, clicked off the light and settled into the bed next to her.

After a few moments she heard Chuck sigh. She knew that sigh. That sigh meant he wanted to talk.

"That wasn't so bad," he began.

Sarah stifled a groan. "Which part? The part where you were staring at me and Ellie all through dinner or the part where Devon and Ellie nagged us about getting married?"

"It could have been worse. The Ring could have burst in and tortured us or…we could have gotten the DNA results."

"We aren't brother and sister, Chuck," Sarah insisted.

"I know it would be pretty awful if we were, like our lives were some Shakespearian tragedy, but it wouldn't be the end of the world."

"It might as well be," she said and then a little softer she added, "It would be the end of _us_."

"I just can't see it being the end of us," Chuck replied. "It wouldn't end, it would just be a different _us_. We could be a family, Ellie, and you and me. We could get together on holidays and always be there for each other. We could be the family you never had."

"Well it doesn't matter, because we aren't related," Sarah answered.

"But if we were," Chuck insisted.

Sarah paused a moment. Memories of all her empty childhood holidays filled her mind, replaced by memories of the last two years, surrounded by people who loved each other. "I've thought of that," she said quietly, "of what it would mean to have a brother and sister – a real family for the first time in my life." She turned to face Chuck. "But as nice as that would be, having someone by my side that I trust, I've never had that either."

"Hey, you'd find someone else. You could have your pick of guys."

"I don't want other guys. That's what I was tried to tell you last night. I was trying…" she paused a moment to gather her courage. "I was trying to tell you…something important," she said more softly. "That is, before you ran away."

She felt him flinch a little bit. "I'm sorry," he said, "I shouldn't have dealt with it that way. I should have talked to you about it. But please Sarah, will you tell me now?"

"Oh, forget it. Everything is all screwed up now." She rolled away from him and punched her pillow to fluff it up. Once she was settled she felt his hand on her bare shoulder.

"No, tell me, I'd… I'd really like to know."

"What does it matter? If we find out we're…you know…like you think we are…none of this will make any difference."

"It makes a difference to me."

Sarah looked off into the darkness. The nighttime light and shadow of Chuck's room, was so familiar and comfortable to her now. "You know I'm not good at relationships," she began. "But I've never met anyone like you."

She wasn't sure if it was the darkness or the alcohol, but she felt enough courage to roll over and face him. "That's why I was planning on leaving the CIA right after the wedding." She remembered standing in the sand and watching Ellie and Devon take their vows and wishing for just a moment that that could be her, standing there with someone she loved and who loved her in return. And then she saw Chuck, grinning from ear to ear as he gave them their rings and she realized that what she wanted was within her grasp. She just needed to reach out and grab onto it with both hands.

"You were going to leave the CIA? For me?"

Sarah nodded. The light spilling under the door from the hallway softly lit Chuck's face; his expression was open and grinning, childlike. Her whole chest filled to overflowing.

"What does that mean, Sarah? What would you do?"

"I hadn't thought that far through," she admitted.

"But you wanted a life – with me?" he asked, tentative.

Sarah smiled and nodded again.

"You don't know… Sarah," he put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into him. "You don't know what that means to me. All this time we've been together - don't get me wrong, it's been wonderful - but every day I wonder how long it's going to last. But now…you…wow."

Sarah sighed deeply. He looked so happy. Why hasn't she told him weeks ago, when they could have truly enjoyed it? But now, with so many things looming over their heads, it was bitter sweet.

Chuck looked at her and his face fell. "But all that's changed hasn't it?"

"The way I feel hasn't changed, but if you're my brother…"

"That's not what I meant. I have the new Intersect…"

She reached up and pushed his curls over his ear. He closed his eyes at her touch. "It hasn't stopped me so far has it?" she said.

"No, I guess not," he answered, still a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

"It just means that I'll be in the CIA a little longer, that's all."

"So you still want…"

"um hu"

Chuck looked so handsome, propped up on one elbow, a huge grin on his face. It was that smile that attracted her in the first place. It was so genuine, so real. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. She couldn't help herself; at that moment he was irresistible.

Chuck didn't return her kiss at first, but seemed to warm up to the idea quickly. It was a matter of a few seconds before their kiss had turned passionate.

Chuck was the one to pull back first. His expression was apologetic. "I'm having feelings for you that aren't the sort of thoughts a brother should have for a sister," he confessed.

"I know what you mean," Sarah answered breathlessly.

Chuck ran his fingers through his hair. "This sucks!" he declared.

Sarah laughed. "You can say that again."

"This sucks!" he repeated. "I finally have everything I ever wanted and it might all be taken away! This damned Intersect! I wish I'd never flashed. I wish I didn't know."

"Chuck, we don't _know_ anything yet. Just wait for the DNA results."

"I must have done something bad in a former life. There is no way one guy can have this much bad luck."

Sarah didn't say anything but silently she agreed. It seemed incredible that two people could go through all that they had gone through. They both lay back on their pillows and an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

Sarah wanted to make him understand the source of her confidence but it was hard for her. She was so used to working in facts and tangible things, how could she explain what she knew, when she didn't understand how she knew it herself? After a long while Sarah decided to give voice to her thoughts. "Have you ever been attracted to Ellie?" Sarah asked into the darkness.

"What?" Chuck's voice sounded both surprised and appalled.

"She's a beautiful woman."

"Well yes…but I've never seen her that way."

"Why not?"

"She's my sister."

"And are you attracted to me?"

"Of course I am. But I didn't know you might be my sister until yesterday."

"But it's something to consider. You know now. Am I not attractive to you now?"

Chuck groaned. "I wouldn't say that."

"Don't you think that should tell us something? I know that I'm feeling things for you a sister could never feel for a brother."

"Are you saying that you know that we aren't siblings because we like to have sex?"

Sarah snorted. "I guess on the basest level you could take it that way. But I was thinking more of the way we feel about each other. What our hearts are telling us."

She rolled so that her body was pressing against him. She slid one leg up across his and laid her head in the crook of his shoulder. She began tracing lazy circles across his chest with her fingertips.

"Sarah, I don't think…"

"Shh," she placed a finger on his lips, "don't think. Just feel. Remember what your heart is telling you. Is it telling you that this is wrong?"

Chuck sighed. "No."

"That we shouldn't be together?"

He wrapped his hand around her back, "It's telling me that I was meant to be with you. Nothing has ever felt so right."

"Then what's stopping us?"

He looked into her face, his eyes searching hers. "Nothing," he answered. "Nothing at all."

Chuck reached his hand under Sarah's shirt and she allowed him to pull it over her head. As they began to kiss, she began to be lost in the hazy pleasure of the moment. For all she knew, it may be their last.

* * *

The early morning sun streamed in through the blinds and Chuck was watching Sarah sleep. He loved the way her hair laid across the pillow, and the way her expression was relaxed, without the usual tightness she carried during the day when she worked. It made her look younger somehow, innocent even. "I know you're awake," he finally whispered.

She opened one eye. "How did you know?"

"You're breathing changed."

"Watching me sleep?" she asked.

"You've got a problem with that?"

She screwed her eyes in the morning light and stretched. "It's a bit creepy."

"Are you saying you don't watch me sleep?"

She hesitated.

"Thought so." He smiled smugly. "I was just savoring the moment. I love waking up next to a beautiful woman."

Her lips curled into a content smile. "I wouldn't know."

"That's a relief. One more thing to cross of my list of questions about you," he quipped.

Sarah grabbed the pillow out from under her head a smacked Chuck in the face with it.

"Hey!" he protested. He pushed the pillow away and kissed her. "Good morning."

Before Sarah could say anything in return, they heard the vibrating buzz of a cell phone.

Chuck looked over to the nightstand where his own phone sat silent. "It's yours," he said.

They exchanged anxious looks. Sarah spoke first. "This might be it."

She started to sit up to reach for the phone but was met with resistance. The phone vibrated again. Chuck gently held her down.

"I need to get that," Sarah protested.

"No you don't," Chuck said. The phone buzzed again. "Let's not answer it."

"What?" Sarah furrowed her brow. "It could be Labcorp - the DNA results."

"I'm sure it is." Chuck still did not move.

"So I have to get it."

"I don't want you to get it because I don't want to know."

"You don't want...?! You're the one that's been so convinced that it's true."

"I don't need to know. I mean, I already know."

"Did you flash on something else?"

"No, but I've been thinking all morning about what you said to me last night. About what my heart is telling me. My heart tells me that the way I feel for you isn't the way a brother feels for his sister."

"But if we are, then…"

"We aren't!" he insisted. "You've known it all along. I'm sorry I was so stupid that it took me so long to see the light." He brushed back the hair from her forehead. "I know you have a hard time saying what you feel, but your heart knows you belong with me. I can see it in your eyes." He paused, his eyes searching. "See, I can see it even now in the way you're looking at me."

Sarah didn't answer but only nodded slightly.

"And so I don't care Sarah. I don't care that you're an agent and I'm an asset, I don't care that you've killed people, I don't care if you've had to…do other things for your job." Sarah gasped but he continued, "I don't even care that I just learned your real name yesterday and it may not even be your real name. What I care about is that I love you, Sarah Walker. And nothing, I mean nothing, is going to change that."

He could see a large smile spread across Sarah's face and knew that his own smile matched hers. She reached up to him and pulled him down beside her. The phone vibrated one last time and was silent.

* * *

Thirty five minutes later, Sarah was running her fingers through the hair on Chuck's chest. "Chuck," she ventured.

"Hum?" he said, his voice rich with contentment.

She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say without presuming too much. "In the future…if we are…you know…we can't…and I've always dreamed that we would…"

"I thought you were sure that we weren't," Chuck said, searching her face.

"I am, but I was also sure that I would never find someone like you; someone who I'd want to live that life with."

They looked at each other for a moment trying to read each other's thoughts then Chuck smiled. "We'll adopt," he said simply.

Sarah smiled in return. "I love you, Chuck Bartowski."

**_The End_**

* * *

Authors Note:

_Sigh no more, [readers], sigh nor more;_

_[fanfiction writers] were deceivers ever;_

_One foot in sea and one on shore,_

_To one thing constant never;_

_Then sigh not so,_

_But let them go,_

_And be you blithe and bonny;_

_Converting all your sounds of woe_

_Into. Hey nonny, nonny._


End file.
